THERE ARE FOUR THINGS YOU MUST KNOW

TO BE SURE OF ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN

1 We are Sinners. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) According to that verse, I am a sinner. According to that verse, every member of Calvary Baptist Church is a sinner. According to that verse, each person in the world is a sinner; which means that you, too, are a sinner. Sin is breaking God’s law. It is doing something God said not to do or not doing something God said to do.

2 The penalty for sin is death. "The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a) The Bible says there is a penalty that must be paid for sin. That penalty is death and hell. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8) Some people think their sin is not as bad as someone else’s or that they can escape the penalty for sin by doing more good than bad; however, all sin has earned a wage - death and hell. The penalty for sin - for doing what God says not to do or not doing what God says to do - is death and an eternity in hell.

3 Jesus paid the penalty for us. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Jesus Christ is God the Son. After living a sinless life, the Lord Jesus went to the cross where He bled and died for our sin. After three days in the tomb, He arose from the grave, proving His power over death, sin, and Satan. "The wages of sin is death." Jesus died for our sin, He paid the penalty for our sin.

4 We must accept His payment for us. "...the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23b) A gift is always free. If we pay even a fraction of its value it is no longer a gift. Eternal life is life forever in heaven. This gift is available only through the Lord Jesus Christ.

According to Romans 6:23, we have two choices. We can take the penalty for our sins ourselves by dying and going to hell, or we can repent of our sins and accept God’s gift of eternal life and go to heaven. In other words, we either receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, taking the gift of eternal life, or , by doing anything else, we reject Jesus Christ as our Savior, refusing His gift of eternal life.

Romans 10:13 tells us how we can accept God’s wonderful gift of eternal life. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If I were drowning and you threw me a rope, I would say that you had saved me from drowning. When we pray and ask the Lord to save us, He saves us from our sin and the penalty of death and hell.

Will you admit that you are a sinner, ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you, and trust Him as your Savior? Will you rely on Him and Him alone to forgive your sin and give you everlasting life in heaven? If you will, say the following prayer to the Lord. (Remember, to do anything other than receiving Christ is to reject him.)

"Lord, I admit that I am a sinner. I don’t deserve to go to heaven; but I believe that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sin. I repent of my sin and trust Him and Him alone, to forgive my sin, to become my Savior and take me to heaven when I die. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen."

In John 6:37, Jesus says "...him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." God also says in 1 John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." If you sincerely accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, He promises to let you into heaven when you die. He promises that He will not, under any circumstances (in no wise), cast you out. That is the best news in the world.

It is this church’s sincere desire to help you understand this new life that you now have. If you just trusted Christ, we would like to provide you with free information on the Christian life. Please e-mail us today.